Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. I write this fic for my own amusement and make no profit off of it.
Warning: this fic contains major OOC-ness, violence, drunken men, female Naruto, the changing of Naruto name and major canon changes. If any of this bothers you run, run for your lives!
There are probably some problems with this chapter but I'm having some problems with my computer and suffering from some Shikamaru block. So I thought it would be best to put it up now.
Poll: on my profile I have a poll open for viewers to vote on which fanfic they think I should be focusing on.
Please read and review!
Beta'ed by Target706
Naruto Uzumaki is Inoko Yamanaka
Ch.1 and her name will be Inoko
Although the village of Konoha had met with a near disaster only four months ago it was already on its way to recovery. It was to the point that the streets of Konoha bustled with business.
Shops along the street beckoned in costumers and young children ran through the crowds playing. It was hard to tell that the Nine Tails Biju, the Kyuubi had not long ago attacked the village.
But while the streets where filled with cheer that didn't mean that all was happy, many lives had been lost in the recent Kyuubi attack. The souls that felt the ache from the attack found themselves gathering in an establishment off in the far corner of the shopping district, above its door a sign read, KONOHA BAR. While most of the patrons sat in their seats mumbling into their drinks, at the bar counter two men sat. One sipping at his sake enjoying the pleasant buzz it gave him and the other hunched over staring into his empty glass with eyes glazed over.
The one man enjoying his sake gave a happy sigh and put his cup down. Shikaku Nara was in the prime of his life or at least he is considering his occupation. At the age of 26 Shikaku with black hair styled in a shape resembling a pineapple, black eyes, and two scars on the side of his face, had fought in the 3rd Shinobi war. He was now happy to say he had been made Jonin Commander. Sort of, in truth Shikaku had been made Jonin Commander when Minato Namikaze had taken the position of Hokage but about four months ago Minato had lost his life while sealing the Kyuubi. Since then there had been some debate if Shikaku would keep his position.
Shikaku let out a bitter sigh, Minato had been a good man and a hell of a good shoji player, Minato would be missed. Looking over at the man sitting next him Shikaku made a face.
The man had long dirty blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail and blue pupil less eyes. The man is Inoichi, one of Shikaku best friends and old teammate from their Genin days. Shikaku and Inoichi made up two parts of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, a tradition that had been going on since before Konoha had even been formed.
As Shikaku stared at Inoichi he wondered if he should lend an ear to his miserable friend, but at the same Shikaku really didn't want to deal with Inoichi's nonsense. So with a small smile Shikaku turned back too his sake.
Unfortunately for Shikaku he wasn't going to get a choice in the matter. For at that moment Inoichi decided to mumble, "She left."
Raising an eyebrow as he poured himself some more sake Shikaku asked, "hmmm, what was that?" and instantly regretted it.
For Inoichi must have taken it as a sign. Inoichi then reached over grabbing Shikaku by the shoulders, causing the Nara to drop his cup and shook him.
"My beautiful wife left me and she took our daughter with her. How could she?!" Inoichi said as tears poured from his eyes.
Shikaku hand twitch as he took a deep breath, "so you mean, Yuri got upset about you spending so much time at work and she and Ino went to visit her sister."
Inoichi shook his head vigorously in a confirming manner. Shikaku felt his eyebrow twitch and then found himself hitting Inoichi over the head with his fist.
"That's why you're moping? You two always fight about work. Either man up and tell her your not going to retire any time soon or just retire," Shikaku told Inoichi seriously as he motioned for the bar tender to come over.
"You don't understand Shikaku. I can't leave work who would take my place?" Inoichi paused for a second thinking about it and then continued on. "I mean I would love to be home more often to see my baby girl, especially before she becomes a ninja herself and has no time for her old man but the I&T department needs me," Inoichi wined out.
"Listen Inoichi, we did lose a lot of good shinobi in the Kyuubi attack but there are still plenty of potential candidates to take over your position. You can pick one or two and start training them. In a few years you'll have a perfect replacement," Shikaku told Inoichi trying to reason with him.
"Name one," Inoichi muttered.
"Huh?" Shikaku question and found his shirt being gripped by Inoichi once again.
"Name one of these bastards you think will do a better job than me," Inoichi yelled.
"I didn't say they would do a better job. I said you could train them to take over your position" Shikaku ground out.
"Well who then?" Inoichi asked.
"I don't know, what about that Ibiki kid? He seems to have some talent," Shikaku answered.
"Tch Ibiki! That wet behind the ears chunin. It will be another five years before he'll even be ready for training," Inoichi scuffed letting go of Shikaku and then picked up his empty glass.
"No harm in starting early," Shikaku muttered picking up his own glass and taking a sip.
Raising his glass Inoichi shouted out, "oi bartender get me another glass and keep them coming."
Shikaku's eye twitched as he sipped his sake. It was going to be one of those days he could just feel it.
It was one of those days, Shikaku thought to himself as he supported Inoichi on his shoulder. The man was fast asleep and no amount of slaps to the face or cold water would wake him up. It was at times like these that Shikaku wished that Choza was here. But Choza had been on a number of missions lately to pick up the slack and any free time he had was often spent with his own newborn son.
Now that Shikaku thought about it, he had his own son and wife at home. Actually he should probably be home spending time with them himself. Instead he was outside in the cold carrying an old friend whom drunkenly slept.
Shikaku signed and then thought about it. If Yuri had left early yesterday morning then they would probably be gone for at least three, maybe five days. Shikaku paled at the thought. He had to find the man a distraction, it was unfortunate that Yuri took Ino with her. A baby would be the perfect…
As Shikaku thought to himself a purely evil smile appeared on his face startling some of the shinobi nearby and causing them to run in the opposite direction. 'That was it' Shikaku thought to himself 'if it's that I'd be killing two birds with one stone.'
In the next moment Shikaku shunshin away,with Inoichi unknowingly along for the ride. Shikaku came to a stop in front of a well-furnished office, an elderly man with a goatee sitting at a desk in that office.
The man who paid Shikaku's entrance no attention continued to read one of the many scrolls in front of him as he smoked on his pipe "Shikaku what a surprise, I thought you had the day off?" the elderly man said to Shikaku.
"Yes Lord Hokage-sama" Shikaku said as he dropped Inoichi to the ground, Inoichi showing no signs that he felt the rather sudden movement.
Hiruzen Sarutobi the current Hokage looked at Inoichi curiously before his attention returned back to Shikaku.
"Hokage-sama, I hope I'm not disturbing you." Shikaku politely stated.
"No, not at all. Just doing some paper work. Is there something you need Shikaku?" Hiruzen asked.
With a serious look in his eyes Shikaku told the Hokage, "This may be sudden but I think I found a solution to one of are problems."
"Oh, is that so?" the Hokage asked leaning forward in interest.
A smirk formed on Shikaku face as he answered, "Yes."
Inoichi woke up with a splitting headache. As he got up Inoichi realized he was in the shinobi barracks, a sort of rest area for chunin and jonin. Which were often used when a shinobi was too tried from a mission to make it home. Sitting up on the cot Inoichi had been laying on, Inoichi ran his hand though his hair and winced finding a sore bump on his head.
He then got up and headed to the washroom to wash his face, hoping that the cold water would help him to wake up. Shivering from the cold water Inoichi washed his hands then headed out the door.
Curiously looking around as he entered the main hallway he spotted both the Hokage and Shikaku talking. Not wanting to interrupt the two he started to head for the main exit until he heard "hey Inoichi, come here for a minute."
Looking up Inoichi saw Shikaku waving his hand in the air trying to get his attention. With a sigh Inoichi walked over to the two.
"Yamanaka-san good to see" the Hokage said pleasantly with a soft smile on his face.
"You to Hokage-sama" Inoichi replied politely.
"We were actually just talking about you," the Hokage admitted.
"You were?" Inoichi asked as he turned to look at Shikaku who wore a suspicious smile on his face.
"Yes, you see we've been a little short handed lately and some of are higher level mission have been piling up." The Hokage explained.
Inoichi face brightened at the mention of a mission. "Is that so. Well you're just in luck! I happen to have some free time."
The Hokage frowned slightly in concern then asked. "Are you sure? You just came back from a mission recently."
Inoichi smiled and said, "no problem we all have to do our part in these trying times."
"Yes that is true," the Hokage said as he nodded his head in agreement.
"So what's the mission?" Inoichi asked.
"Its very top secret, S ranked in fact. We've been trying to find someone but no one meets the criteria." The Hokage explained in all seriousness.
"Really" Inoichi asked in excitement.
"Yeah," Shikaku said finally jumping into the conversation.
As the three men talked they headed over to the Hokage's office. Shikaku opened the doors and went inside, while the Hokage remained standing in the doorway as he continued to talk to Inoichi.
"You'll need a few things for the mission." As the Hokage said this, Shikaku returned with a few bags.
Inoichi quickly found his hands full with the multi colored bags Shikaku had brought out and couldn't help but comment.
"Hokage-sama I do have my own equipment. I doubt I will need any of this" Inoichi sweat dropped as he stared at the bags in his hands.
Even if he did need some special equipment of some sort, he really doubted that sky blue bags with little white rabbits on them is the standard issued equipment. Inoichi was interrupted from his thoughts when the Hokage started talking again.
"Inoichi you have the chance to pull out right now. No one would think any less of you," the Hokage told the Yamanaka clan leader.
"Hokage-sama, no matter what this mission is, I'm sure I'll be able to handle it. As a Konoha ninja it is my duty to help the village in its time of need and if you believe I am the only one capable enough for this job. I must do it." Inoichi told the Hokage with a determined expression.
"I understand Inoichi. You are a fine man and shinobi. Now if you'll excuse me I'll just go get your mission," the Hokage said and then turned around heading into his office leaving Inoichi and Shikaku in the doorway.
Inoichi smiled to himself and rubbed under his nose. Such high praise from the Hokage wasn't something to scuff at. He then found his eyes traveling over to Shikaku who still wore that strange smirk on his face.
Inoichi eyes narrow as he continued to watch Shikaku. He then asked "What's up with that look."
"What look?" Shikaku innocently asked.
"The look on your face right now. The one that says your taking great pleasure from all this," Inoichi stated.
"I was just thinking what a fine shinobi you are," Shikaku answered as his grin stretched just a bit wider.
"What are you planning Shikaku?" Inoichi asked.
"Who? Me? Nothing." Shikaku denied as he held up his hands in surrender.
Before Inoichi could retort the Hokage had returned holding a sling of some sorts. Eyeing Inoichi who's hands where full the Hokage gently placed the sling around Inoichi neck and said, "there we go."
Inoichi face froze as he looked into the sling hanging from his neck.
A baby, a very young infant lay nestled in the sling sleeping. It had blonde hair, soft white skin and on either side of its cheek three whisker marks.
Inoichi felt his mouth drop and he stuttered out "Ho-kage… ba-b-y?"
"I really do appreciate this Yamanaka–san. We've been trying to find someone suitable to watch this little girl and to my surprise Shikaku came by today to drop off your name." The Hokage then gave a loud laugh.
Starring at the infant Inoichi then realized, "is this the Jinchuriki?" he asked.
"Yes, we've been having some problem's finding a place to keep her until we manage to sort everything out. So like I said, we really appreciate you volunteering to watch her the next couple of days." The Hokage informed the man.
"Bububut but Hokage-sama" Inoichi stuttered.
"Now if you don't mind, I have some paper work I need to get back to. Thanks again Yamanaka-san" the Hokage said as he gave a backwards wave while entering his office.
Inoichi found his eyes traveling over to Shikaku as the man also moved into the office.
As Shikaku gripped the inside handles he then said, "Yeah thanks Inoichi." and with a wink closed the doors.
Inoichi found himself frozen as a cold breeze blew through his hair.
Snapping out of it a vein popped out on his forehead and he yelled out "SHIKAKU YOU BLOODY BASTARD!"
Inoichi anger was short lived though as his yelling had woken the girl that was nestled in the sling around his neck. The infant gave a mighty wail and Inoichi found himself hopping from foot to foot, his hands full and unusable as the girl continued to cry.
Panicking Inoichi dropped the items he held and gently cupped the child within the sling making shushing noises and moving side to side in a rocking motion. The infant hiccupped a few times but finally calm down and fell back to sleep.
Inoichi sighed as he looked down at the ground where several bags lay. Reaching into his jacket while trying not to disturb the sleeping infant. Inoichi grabbed a sealing scroll; opening it and placing it on the ground he began the process of sealing away the objects that would be needed for his mission.
As Inoichi began to walk out of the Hokage tower he found himself thinking, a lesser man would have scrambled back to the Hokage and begged to be taken off this mission. Inoichi though wasn't one of those men and as he continued down the streets of Konoha manly tears of determination fell down his cheeks.
It was as Inoichi walk down the streets of Konoha that his stomach gave a pitiful growl. Looking at the position of the sun Inoichi realized it was about lunchtime. Looking around he perked up as he saw a bar to the left of him. Inoichi started to head over only to freeze as he realized he had a baby. He had a baby with him and he couldn't take the child into a bar. What kind of parental figure would he be. Not that he was the child's father but he has a daughter about the kid's age and he certainly wouldn't take his precious Ino into such a place. With a newfound resolve Inoichi continued on his way until he found a nice box lunch shop that had indoor seating.
Lifting the cloth screen he entered the shop and walked over to the counter "I'll have the number four box lunch" he told the store clerk, a young woman with brown hair and eyes.
"Of course. So that will be the number four box lunch. That comes with chicken, rice, tempura and salad. Would you like some tea with that." The young woman asked him with a bright smile.
"Yes please, hot if you have it." Inoichi replied.
"Of course sir. That will be 1300 yen," she said.
"Yes," Inoichi said as he grabbed his wallet and handed over the necessary bills. As the woman handed over his change and purchase he thanked her and went over to one of the empty tables. Sitting down and adjusting the child he took a bite of his food only to have to stop as the child whimpered.
"Eh? What's wrong now, do you want to bounce a bit?" Inoichi asked as he began to think of what could be distressing the child. It wasn't long till the child's whimpers turned to wails and Inoichi felt himself blush as the other occupants of the shop started to whisper. As he continued to wrack his brain for ideas as to why the child was crying he felt a presence walk up to him.
"My if it isn't Inoichi-chan, it certainly has been some time since I've seen one of you boys around," a feminine voice called out.
Looking up Inoichi saw a small woman about twice his age with grayish brown hair and kind brown eyes.
"Ah Yuki-san, it has been a while." Inoichi said in surprise.
"Yes well, I suppose its only natural that boys your age would be more interested in hanging out at a bar then my little shop." Yuki-san said in exasperation.
"That's not true." Inoichi denied.
"Of course, it seems like I can expect to see more of you now. Seeing as you wont be able to go to bars as often." Yuki said with a smile as she looked at the infant that Inoichi held.
Inoichi sweat dropped at the old woman's observation and laughed.
"Ino certainly has a strong set of lungs on her, doesn't she." Yuki commented.
"Ino?" Inoichi muttered then realized that Yuki-san must have been referring to the child. It was true that both the child and his daughter were close to the same age and they both had blue eyes and blonde hair. So it wouldn't be that hard for others to make the mistake of thinking the child he held is his.
"Oh yes, Ino." Inoichi said with a laugh.
"Really now Inoichi-chan, people will start talking if you act like that about your own daughter." Yuki explained with a sigh.
"What? No. It's just…" Inoichi tried to explain but eventually gave up.
"Well the child sounds like she's hungry. I'll go get you a bottle." Yuki informed Inoichi as she started to turn away.
"Uh no, that's ok. I'd hate to trouble you." Inoichi said as he tried to politely refuse.
"Oh no dear, its no trouble at all." Yuki assured Inoichi, then headed to the back room.
Inoichi awkwardly held the child patting her on the back as he waited. It wasn't long till Yuki-san returned with a bottle full of milk. She then held out her arms for the child and Inoichi found himself shying away from Yuki-san.
"No no, that's okay Yuki-san. I mean, I am Ino's father I should be the one to feed her." Inoichi explained, not wanting Yuki to get a good look at the child.
"Are you sure Inoichi-chan? You haven't even eaten your own meal." Yuki said as she gestured to Inoichi forgotten meal.
"Yes, quite sure." Inoichi said with determination.
"Well aren't you the doting father." Yuki told Inoichi as she handed over the bottle. She then sighed and looked over to the store clerk and said, "I wish my own husband had been a bit more proactive in the raising of our daughter. It's so nice seeing a father taking care of his daughter and giving his wife a little time off."
"Oh well, you know I try." Inoichi felt like crying as he listened to Yuki. The truth was that he had little to no interaction with his own daughter. He mostly left everything concerning their child to Yuri. He was a horrible father and husband.
"Inoichi-chan raise the head!" Yuki called out.
"Huh?" Inoichi asked as he tried to feed the child.
"You need to slightly raise the head when feeding Ino." Yuki explained with a pinched expression on her face.
"Like this?" Inoichi asked.
"No, it's more like…" Yuki started to say then gestured with her hands the proper way to feed a baby.
Five minutes later Inoichi had found the proper way to feed a baby or at least satisfactory enough of a way for Yuki who had watched over him for a few minutes.
Sighing Inoichi watched the child drink and wondered if this is what it would be like to take care of his own daughter. Actually now that Inoichi got a good look at her, the kid is pretty cute. It was hard to imagine that the little thing actually was the jailer of the most powerful Biju. Inoichi smiled as the child finished drinking, taking the bottle he set it down on the table and held the child to his shoulder gently pat her on the back, where she then burped and sighed.
"Oh wow, is that you Inoichi-san and is that little Ino?" A voice called out.
"Yamanaka-san, fancy seeing you here and is that your daughter Ino-chan." Another voice said.
"What a great father you are." A third voice said.
Inoichi sweat dropped as a large crowd of people entered the bento shop, a few where familiar faces and had decided to come over and say hello.
"Wow, Ino sure is getting big. Let me get a good look at that cuties chubby cheeks." A konichi from the I&T department said taking a step forward and reaching out for the child.
In an uncharacteristic display Inoichi jumped up onto the back of his seat and held up the palm of his hand. "I'm afraid I cant allow that."
"Ah, why not?" The konichi asked as she pouted.
"Because…" Inoichi started to say then ran out of the restaurant while shouting behind him "we have to go."
The occupants of the shop stared blankly as they watch the man run out of the shop.
The konichi placed her hands on her hips and pouted while saying. "The nerve of that man. Who does he think he is?"
"Are boss." Another shinobi beside her helpfully answered.
"Don't take it so hard Haru. Yamanaka-san must be one of those types." The third shinobi said.
"Huh… What type." Haru asked in confusion.
"You know the over protective father. This is his first kid, not to mention it's a girl." The shinobi answered
"Wow, now I'm feeling really sorry for the kid." Haru said.
"Huh, did Inoichi-chan already leave. He hadn't even finished his lunch." Yuki said as she walked over to Inoichi empty table.
As Inoichi put some distance between himself and the noisy shinobi, he came to a stop and let out a sigh. Although he had mixed feeling about the people of Konoha believing that the child he carried with him was his daughter Ino, Inoichi couldn't help but reason that it was for the best. If the people of Konoha ever realized that the child in his arms was in fact the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi there was no doubt in his mind that their attitudes would change for the worse. It was for this reason that he had to make sure that no one got a good look at the child's face.
Looking down Inoichi noticed a pair of blue eyes looking up at him. As the child stuck its fist into its mouth Inoichi smiled.
"It looks like for now you'll be know as Ino" the child stared at Inoichi in bafflement then removed its fist from its mouth and waved it in the air. " Yes I know it will be a bit confusing but hopefully the Hokage will have every thing sorted out soon." Inoichi told the child as he walked down the street.
Inoichi then heard a growl from his own stomach and slumped in defeat. He had been so busy getting out of the bento shop as fast as he could that he forgot to grab his lunch. His stomach gave one more pitiful growl and Inoichi sighed as he continued on his way.
"Ah, I suppose I can grab something at one of the shops on the way home." Inoichi said to himself as he thought about the sealing scrolls containing all the equipment to take care of Ino. He should probably head home soon so he could take a look at everything he was given and make sure he didn't need to go out shopping.
As Inoichi continued to travel down the street he noticed a dango shop on his left.
"Perfect! I'll grab a couple of those and then head home." Inoichi said to himself as he walked over to the shop.
It was as Inoichi reached the entrance that he heard the beginning of a whimper. Freezing, Inoichi looked down into the sling and stared into a pair of tear filled blue eyes.
"No!" Inoichi began to whisper only to have his voice drowned out by the high pitch cry of Ino.
Inoichi panicked as he shifted from foot to foot as he tried to figure out what was wrong with Ino. She'd been fed earlier and had been burped. Babies like to be held and given attention, he'd been practically holding the kid the whole time.
"What… What is it that you need," Inoichi called to the skies.
"Sir you're causing a public disturbance. Please calm yourself and your child down." A voice called out from Inoichi left.
Turning his head towards the voice Inoichi met the cold black eyes of a member of the Konoha police force.
Steeling himself Inoichi stood up straight and faced the Uchiha member and said, "if you have any ideas I'm all ears."
The Konoha police force member sighed in exasperation and pinched the bridge of his nose until a disgusted looked appeared on his face. Still pinching his nose the Uchiha said, "I'm no expert on kids but I think the kid needs to be changed."
Inoichi sniffled a bit until the fool odor of a dirty diaper reached his nose at which time he held Ino at arms length away.
"Restrooms are that way." The Uchiha police force member said pointing over to the right.
"Thanks." Inoichi responded and ran off in the direction the police force member had pointed.
Entering the restroom Inoichi placed Ino on the baby change station and started to undo her diaper. Opening the diaper caused an explosion of stink to escape from it and Inoichi found himself gagging. With tears in his eyes Inoichi grabbed one of the summon scrolls from his pocket opening it he and summoning a pile of miscellaneous items within. Inoichi sifted through the items until he found the sought after item; diapers, baby wipes and baby powder. Holding his breath he went back over to the infant and started on his task.
After the unpleasant task Inoichi wiped his forehead with his arm and let out a sigh. It was done. He had managed to change his very first diaper on his own. Inoichi stuck up his thumb in the nice guy pose for a second and then turned back to the infant on the changing table.
Lifting her up Inoichi smiled and said, "you feel better now don't you, huh" the infant squealed in delight as Inoichi made a few funny faces.
The pervious full diaper was now swapped with a clean one and upon closer inspection showed that the new diaper was held up with a large amount of black tape.
Inoichi sweat dropped as he looked at the tape "well the only thing that matters is that its being held up, right little one?" Inoichi asked the infant while he tickled her stomach.
The infant gave another squeal of delight and Inoichi walked out of the bathroom leaving behind a trashcan filled with the failed attempts at changing a diaper.
As Inoichi left he gave a mighty sigh. Ino was now fed, burped and changed. It was now time. Inoichi could finally get himself something to eat. As Inoichi took another step towards a small little bento shop a loud shriek came from the bundle that rested in the sling against his chest. With tears in his eyes Inoichi hung his head in despair.
It wasn't closing time but Teuchi found himself closing up the shop for the day. Teuchi's young daughter Ayame had come down with a cold earlier that day. Teuchi wanted to check up on her and do the necessary parenting that he hadn't been able to do while he had been at work. As he finished closing up outside, he was about to take off his apron when he spotted a note on the table and found himself letting out a heavy sigh.
Earlier that day he had been asked to deliver a bowl of noodles around dinnertime to Yamanaka-san.
Rolling his shoulder Teuchi quickly yet quietly went upstairs to check on his daughter. Finding her asleep he smiled and headed back down the stairs and started to prepare a bowl of noodles.
The Yamanaka flower shop wasn't that far away and if he was fast about it he could be back before Ayame noticed he was gone.
Putting the finishing touches on the ramen he then placed it inside a carrying case and left out the side door. Teuchi then found himself jogging down the street coming to the Yamanaka flower shop, he entered only to find the place empty.
"Hello Yamanaka-san are you here. I have a delivery for you." Teuchi called out.
Teuchi jumped a bit as he heard a crash from the back of the shop. A muffled curse sounded out and Teuchi heard Inoichi voice call out "I'm in the back, come on in."
Teuchi sweat dropped but decided to follow Inoichi voice, where he found Inoichi standing in front of a stove. He then realized that Inoichi must have been cooking something. Teuchi just hoped that he hadn't come all the way out here for nothing.
"Yamanaka-san, I was asked to bring you an order of ramen for supper," Teuchi explained.
Inoichi slowly turned around and Teuchi found himself jumping back in fright at the man's appearance. Clothes and hair in disarray with a blank look on his face Inoichi looked more like a zombie than a young man in his prime.
"That was very nice of you. I'll eat it in just a second, just as soon as I finish feeding little Ino 2." Inoichi told Teuchi.
"Ino 2?" Teuchi muttered and then noticed the bundle in Inoichi arms. 'Ah, Inoichi must be taking care of his daughter, although I thought his daughters name was Ino not Ino 2.' Teuchi thought to himself as he watched Inoichi reached behind himself to pull out a baby bottle from a pot of boiling water that had been on the stove.
Teuchi watched as Inoichi began to give the bottle to the infant then realized something. "Wait Inoichi! You need to check the temperature first" Teuchi yelled out in panic.
Inoichi froze for a second and then smile, "what are talking about Teuchi? It's just a bottle I'm sure the temperatures fine" he reassured the ramen shop owner.
"Even so. You should first try it out on yourself." Teuchi explained.
"Myself?" Inoichi asked.
"Yes, just squirt a bit on your arm." Teuchi said.
"You mean like this?" Inoichi asked and then squeezed the bottle allowing a few drops of formula to land on his arm.
"Aaaahhhhhh!" Inoichi suddenly screamed as the burning liquid touched his skin.
Teuchi found himself placing the order of ramen on a side table as he quickly took the infant from Inoichi as the man continued to flail around.
Sighing Teuchi watched Inoichi run his hand under water and sweat drop. He then picked up a container of baby formula, as well as a bottle and proceeded to fix a new bottle for the child. As the bottle finished heating up Teuchi tested it out on his arm seeing that it was at the proper temperature he started to feed Ino 2.
Inoichi after finding some burn salve under the sink treated his wound and sighed. It had been a long day. He missed his wife and Ino. Looking over at Teuchi he felt a smile pull at his lips. Little Ino 2 was a cutie that was for sure. It really was hard to believe that the child was actually the Jinchuriki for the kyuubi. In fact with her blonde hair Ino 2 could easily be mistaken for a Yamanaka.
"Oi." Inoichi heard Teuchi call out, "you should go ahead and dig into your own meal while you have the chance."
Surprised Inoichi blinked and asked, "are you sure."
"Yeah." Teuchi simply replied.
"Thank you Teuchi-san," Inoichi said while he felt tears start to gather at the corner of his eyes.
"Sure sure." Teuchi said.
Inoichi walked over to the take out box and pulled out at large bowl of beef ramen. Removing the plastic cover Inoichi took a sniff of the food and signed. He then picked up a pair of chopsticks from the container and dug into the noodles.
It tasted so good. Ever since this morning when he had gotten the mission to take care of Ino 2 he hadn't been able to take the time to have a meal.
"Hey Inoichi, did Ino get hurt or something?" Teuchi questioned.
"Huh? What do you mean?!" Inoichi asked in a panic. Walking over to Teuchi to see what was wrong. Worried that something had happened to the child without him noticing.
"It's just that, there are these weird marks on Ino's face." Teuchi explained.
Inoichi sighed in relief and then said, "oh no, those are just birth marks."
"Ah really?" Teuchi asked in surprise. "It certainly is a unique birthmark."
"Ahaha that's for sure." Inoichi agreed.
"So where's Yuri?" Teuchi asked.
Choking on a mouth full of noodles at the blunt question Inoichi swallowed and stared at Teuchi.
"Oh well actually Yuri took Ino and went to visit her family in the next village over." Inoichi explained.
"Ah I see, Yuri took Ino." Teuchi repeated with a smile. Then realized, "Wait a second Inoichi-san I thought this was Ino."
"Oh no. This is an orphan from the Kyuubi attack. I was asked to take care of her until they had figured out what to do with her." Inoichi explained.
"But you called her Ino 2." Teuchi stated.
"I called her Ino 2 because everyone seemed to think she was Ino." Inoichi explained.
"So then what's the kids name?" Teuchi asked with a slight frown.
"Don't know. I don't even think her parents got a chance to name her before you know…" Inoichi said.
Teuchi frowned a bit more as he looked down at the infant. "That's so sad. Orphaned right after being born, with no name of her own. Not to mention that the council seems to be having a hard time figuring out what to do with all the orphaned kids." Teuchi said out loud to himself.
"Yeah." Inoichi muttered to himself as he looked at the child Teuchi held. Watching as Teuchi finished feeding her and took away the bottle. Setting it down on the counter and gently tickling the infant causing her to let out a happy squeal.
"She really looks like she could be a Yamanaka though." Teuchi suddenly said.
As Teuchi continued to talk Inoichi looked down in his bowl and picked up one of the round fishcakes with his chopsticks. Looking at the swirl design Inoichi came to a decision. Placing the bowl on the counter he walked over to Teuchi and gently lifted the infant from the man's hands.
With a serious expression on his face he looked at the infant and said. "I've decided."
"You've decided?" Teuchi asked uncertainly.
"I've decided that it's to sad for a child to go around without a name. So from this moment on her name shall be Inoko." Inoichi declared happily with a large smile on his face.
Teuchi froze as he listened to Inoichi declaration, watching as the man lifted the child up and gently cooed at her.
"Inoko?" Teuchi asked.
Smiling Inoichi turned back to Teuchi and replied, " that's right Ino as in boar and ko as in child."
"But isn't that a little to close to your own daughter's name?" Teuchi asked.
"Well I've been referring to Inoko as Ino all day so it shouldn't be any trouble." Inoichi explained.
"That's not what I meant. I mean the child is an orphan right now. She belongs to the village of Konoha, I don't think your allowed to make these decisions on your own." Teuchi said as he tried to reason with Inoichi.
"What nonsense, of course I can. I mean its just confusing to refer to her as that child. So why not name her Inoko. Also like you said, she looks similar to children of the Yamanaka clan. Ha she might even have some of are blood running through her veins." Inoichi said happily.
"But.." Teuchi started to say only to find himself completely ignored by Inoichi as he continued to cue to Inoko.
"You like your new name, now don't you Inoko." Inoichi asked Inoko watching in delight as she happily squealed in response. "That's right, Inoko is an awesome name."
Teuchi sighed as he gave up. He wasn't sure if Inoichi was planning on adopting the child or not. But then again, don't they usually say something like 'don't name an animal or you will develop a strong bond to it.'
Walking over to the counter Teuchi started to pick up the mess Inoichi had left behind when a thought popped into his head. "Actually Inoichi?"
"Hmmm?" Inoichi asked.
"Why is their tape wrapped around Inoko diaper?" The Ramen shop owner asked and watched as Inoichi suddenly froze.
Omake: how Teuchi was asked to deliver Yamanaka his noodles
Shikaku walked down the streets of Konoha with a smug smirk on his face. Not only had he managed to complete his work this morning but he had also solved two troublesome problems at the same time.
The first being the temporary relocation and living arrangements of the Kyuubi Jinchuriki and the second his mopey childhood friend Inoichi Yamanaka who ever since his wife had left to visit some family had been clinging to him.
Sometimes Shikaku was a real genius. By putting Inoichi in charge of the Jinchuriki not only did it allow for the child to be put in a safe environment but also ensured that Inoichi would have something else to obsess over. Actually this may even be a bit of a learning experience for Inoichi. Now he would be able to get some experience with an infant and wouldn't act so scared when dealing with his own daughter Ino.
Shikaku sighed thinking about the nameless Jinchuriki. While not many knew the child was actually the daughter of the recently deceased 4th Hokage Minato Namikaze and his wife the former Jinchuriki Kushina Uzumaki, the few that did know had no idea what the two had planned on naming the child. In truth the child would most likely be given some generic name as not to draw attention to herself.
"I need a drink" Shikaku muttered and started towards a local bar but found himself stopping when he reached a familiar ramen shop. Looking at the sign that read Ichiraku Ramen, Shikaku entered and sat down.
"Welcome!" A warm voice called out.
"Yo, can I get a seafood ramen and some sake" Shikaku lazily ordered.
"Coming right up. A bottle of sake and one bowl of seafood ramen" repeated a man with closed eyes and brown hair. The man then placed a cup in front of Shikaku who proceeded to pour himself a glass and take a sip.
"Ah, now that hits the spot." Shikaku said with a smile.
"Here you go." The man said as he set a steaming bowl of ramen in front of Shikaku.
"Thank you." Shikaku said and dug into his bowl of ramen.
"Its been a while since I've last seen you here." The man said.
"Yeah been busy with the family and work." Shikaku explained.
"Ah must be tough." The man said.
"How about you Teuchi?" Shikaku politely asked as he dug into his ramen.
"Actually Ayame is sick right now. I'm thinking of closing up early tonight." The man known as Teuchi said.
"Ah that's always tough." It was always difficult when a child was sick even more so when you had to work.
"Mmm." Teuchi said in agreement.
"It really is quite here though." Shikaku suddenly found himself saying.
"Haha every now and then I think that they'll just come walking in any minute as if nothing had happened." Teuchi said sadly as he aimlessly wiped down the counter.
"Yeah." Shikaku said in agreement.
"You know it really is shame." Teuchi muttered.
Shikaku found himself looking at the ramen chef and watching the emotions that played across his face.
"Kushina once told me that she was the last of the Uzumaki or at least the last one that contained the knowledge of the clan." Teuchi explained.
"True but there is always lady Tsunade she is the granddaughter of Mito Uzumaki and she was taught by lady Mito, just like Kushina." Shikaku said.
"Yes but Tsunade may just be the last of her bloodline as well." Teuchi exclaimed depressingly.
Shikaku frowned at this. It was true, in a few more decades it could very well be the end of the Senju line. The Uzumaki line still had a successor in the nameless Jinchuriki but…
Suddenly brightening up a bit Teuchi said. "On the matter of clans. I remember this interesting story that Minato once told me."
"Really?" Shikaku asked curiously.
"Yeah, it's actually a bit scandalous." Teuchi said.
"Well now, that just makes me want to hear about it even more." Shikaku said a wide smile appearing on his face.
Teuchi motioned Shikaku closer and Shikaku with his interest piped leaned in allowing the older man to whisper in his ear. As Shikaku listened the wide smile on his face morphed into a look of shock and as he pulled away from Teuchi he looked disbelievingly at the chef.
"Is that true?" Shikaku asked.
"That's what I was told." Teuchi claimed.
Shikaku mulled over this information a bit while he sipped at his sake.
"HA" he gave one short laugh and returned to nursing his sake.
"Is everything ok?" Teuchi asked in worry.
"Hmmm, everything's great. Your little story actually helped me with a problem I was having." Shikaku explained as he smirked.
"Really?" Teuchi asked in confusion.
"Yep." Shikaku replied as he stood up and reach inside his pocket to pull out some money to pay the ramen chef. As he paid Teuchi a sudden thought struck Shikaku. Taking out a few extra bills he handed them to Teuchi.
"This is more than enough." Teuchi said as he tried to hand Shikaku back his change.
"Ah, I know. I was actually hoping that you could deliver a large order of beef ramen to Inoichi." Shikaku told Teuchi.
"Yamanaka-san?" Teuchi asked.
"Yeah, he was given a new mission today and I don't think he'll have the energy to make himself anything tonight" Shikaku explained.
"Is that so. Of course I'll be happy to help. You really are a great friend." Teuchi said with a wide smile on his face.
Shikaku face went blank for a few minutes until a devious smile broke out on it.
"Well that's one way of putting it" Shikaku explained.
"Ahahaha" giving a laugh Shikaku started to leave the shop waving behind him he called out, "thanks for the meal and the information."
"yes. Anytime. Come back soon" Teuchi called back.
Authors note and miscellaneous ramblings.
A huge thanks to gaara king of the sand and CHAOSPRIMER for allowing me to bounce ideas off of them for this fic, also the name Inoko was the idea of gaara king of the sand.
I love family fics so here's another one. I decided that I wanted to write a fic with a lot of comedy in it. It's still going to have a lot of family and drama in it but it's going to heavily deviate from the canon timeline. I thought that Inoichi would be a very passionate person but at the same time would be very awkward and unsure about things.
Ino means pig/boar
Ko means child
So future idea for this fic, I've been playing with the idea of who knows that Naruto/Inoko is Minato and Kushina kid. People who are going to defiantly know are going to be Danzo, Hiruzen, Shikaku, Inoichi, any major adviser and Tsunade. The idea being that the adults and shinobi know that Naruto/Inoko is the container of the Kyuubi but they where never told who her parents where and just assumed she's an orphan of the Yamanaka clan.
So my ideas are:
1. Kakashi and Jiraiya know who Inoko/Naruto is but where ordered by the council to never interact with her until she became a genin. So basically canon.
2. Kakashi and Jiraya know that Kushina went into labor but believe that the child died during the Kyuubi attack. Jiraiya never realized this was a lie because he soon left the village for research and hasn't been back since. Kakashi believes that Inoko is a member of the Yamanaka clan and isn't told the truth till later.
Thank you for reading and if you have the time or are in the mood please leave a review. Now I'm off to go finish an update for another fic and away I go.
Now for some shameless self-promotion of my other fic's.
Do you like Naruto family fic's, where Naruto is taken in as a child and raised by someone else. If so then please check out my other fic, Naruto Uzumaki: the Aburame Clan.
If you like or are obsessed with Naruto being paired with members of the Nara clan or maybe you just want to read some major humor crack then check out my one-shots fic Deer's love fishcakes. Includes yaoi.
Mirror sites
So lately there's been a lot of talk about mirror sites. Right now there are supposeivly a few active mirror sites for this site. Now if you come across a mirror site don't click on it or anything. Not only do they steal the content of this site and use it to make a profit but there's also a chance you can get a virus from them as well.
I know that some people are so outraged by these sites they're claiming that they won't be updating any their stories until it's fixed. Good luck with that.
As a person who has looked into the whole grey legal area of writing fanfiction, I'm still going to update my stories. Just make sure you only view my stories on this site. If you come across one of these mirror sites inform google. That's really all you can do.